


If you fall for me,  I'll catch you

by Jsscshvlr



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:15:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26575105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jsscshvlr/pseuds/Jsscshvlr
Summary: “Peter, nothing bad is going to happen! It’s only tryouts. Just be bad on purpose if you want and they won’t even let you on the team. But you’ll meet new people… new girls. Get over your crush on Michelle while you’re-”Peter splutters for a defence, “Crush?! I don’t have a crush on MJ, Ned! She’s our best friend, I don’t have a crush on her. No. No way. She’s like, hideous, or whatever.”
Relationships: Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Comments: 22
Kudos: 67





	If you fall for me,  I'll catch you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ForASecondThereWedWon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForASecondThereWedWon/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SECOND!

“NED. Hey buddy! There you are. Where have you been? Do you wanna play beer pong? Have you seen MJ? MJ. She’s so pretty, man. She’s got a perfect face. Have you seen it?”

* * *

Peter is nervous. He’s been at MIT now for 4 months and outside of Ned and MJ, only has a few other friends. How do you make friends? Join clubs. So that’s what he did. He thought very long and hard about the list of extracurriculars that he could do, without interrupting his other extracurricular. He meant to check coding, to run alongside his engineering degree. Meet some like minded individuals, maybe they’ll like Star Wars.

He checked cheerleading instead. 

He’s ridiculously nervous about actually going, his internal monologue is off the charts,  “it’s time tonight for flight or fight ”. Fuck it, what’s the worst that could happen?

“Peter, nothing bad is going to happen! It’s only tryouts. Just be bad on purpose if you want and they won’t even let you on the team. But you’ll meet new people… new girls. Get over your crush on Michelle while you’re-”

Peter splutters for a defence, “Crush?! I don’t have a crush on MJ, Ned! She’s our best friend, I don’t have a crush on her. No. No way. She’s like, hideous, or whatever.”

Ned gives him a look that he assumes means, ‘wow, great defence’ but what he says, in a totally  _ not _ good Peter interpretation, is, “Ned, have you seen her? She has the perfect face man.” Rude. “You’re such a  slow mover! She’s going to get asked out all the time here.” Peter furiously blushes and leaves the room. 

Like, yes he knows MJ will get asked out a lot at college. She’s flawless. Doesn’t mean he’s got a crush on her. He’s known her since 9th grade! Alright, so she was flawless then too but still, he doesn’t have a crush on her. Yeah, he thinks about her all the time. Yes, his life is better when she’s around. Okay, so he thinks she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to anyone. It’s because she’s his best friend! Doesn’t mean he wants to kiss her all the time. I mean, he would do it, for science purposes, she does have a perfect face.

Okay so he loves her. Shuttup, Ned.

* * *

“Ned, can you grab some clementines when you go to the store? They're MJs favourite and she is on her way over."

* * *

Peter is currently talking to Ned about Star Wars, obviously. Ned’s been talking for 7 minutes and 13 seconds about how John Boyega was “utterly bunned off” in his role as Finn and has been listing exactly why. He has 16 valid points. Peter loves listening to Ned rant, he almost never gets animated about something in this way, and he always likes to learn about the thoughts going on in his head. 

The fact MJ hasn’t piped up with her own thesis on this suggests she’s very much into her new book. Peter knows the synopsis to ‘ Overheard at the Bugle ’, a secret memoir of a disgruntled former employee. He hasn’t read it as much as looked at key notes online so he can ask MJ about it when she’s finished and not sound like a doofus. He can also tell she’s not putting her book down anytime soon because she’s clearly hungry but hasn’t made any move to eat.

You see, MJ has signs of discomfort, which Peter has picked up through observation and _ not  _ obsession. Her left eyebrow is twitching every time she turns a page. He knows she’s waiting til the end of the chapter before she gets something to eat. But it looks like a long book! Will she perish before page 273? Will she make it? He knows better than to tell her to eat, and he definitely knows she’ll say no if he asks her if she wants anything. He has to wait for the optimum moment. The stomach gurgles. 

3 agonising minutes and 23 seconds later, and they start. Peter skips off to the kitchen under the guise of getting water. He places 3 glasses down, and sits down with two clementines.

“You don’t like oranges, Peter…” Ned says utterly confused and all too loud. Peter shoots him a look. 

“So, the new Star Wars game is out soon-” It’s all he needs to say and Ned has spun round to fully face him again, and is listing off the different things they can do in gameplay. Peter listens to Ned with a small smile on his face, silently peeling the clementines. 

Just moving his hand and not his entire body to face her, he picks a segment of the orange and passes it to where he thinks her chest is. He can feel her staring at him with a ‘what the fuck, Parker’ face on but he is determined not to look. What’s he going to see if he turns? Anger? Disgust? His future? 

She takes the segment, fingers brushing his and sending a jolt up his arm, and wordlessly pops it in her mouth. He’s still listening to Ned, who appears to not have noticed, or care about Peter being entirely too over the top. He separates another segment and repeats the process until both fruits are gone. 

Her left eyebrow has stopped twitching.

* * *

“Michelle could do absolutely anything, Ned. She’d probably start live streaming just to fuck with Flash.”

* * *

Cheerleading tryouts, it turns out, is insanely fun. Flipping around, doing cool shit, and no one can call him out on it? What? He’s just a good cheerleader! 

He makes the team. 

“Ned, I get to be ‘the base’ and I’ll meet my assigned partner tonight! Girls had tryouts on a separate day, but I’ll meet my ‘perfect pair’ tonight. Hopefully, she’s shorter than me? How am I supposed to throw a tall girl in the air?! Ned, what if I have a tall girl!”

“You’re literally Spiderman.”

“Oh yeah, thanks, man.”

He strolls into the auditorium at 17:58. Not late. Success. 

Everyone is already here?! But it doesn’t start till 6! Rude. Peter sits on one of the empty spaces on the very front bleacher and listens as the coach talks about being prompt (rude), always in the correct attire (girls are in skirts, oh), and being polite and friendly to your partner (please be short). Coach Harrington says “ wait ‘til you’re announced to come to the front” and then starts listing off pairs. Peter hears his name and he stands up, walks to the front and waits for his partner to be called out. 

“Michelle Jones.” Nice.

Wait, what?!

His eyes fly around the people sat down and desperately tries to find his partner walking towards him, not his MJ right? Michelle ‘if you make me run another lap Wilson, I’m calling HR’ Jones. And then he sees her. God she’s so beautiful.  She gives him that floaty feeling. She’s wearing her trademark smirk like she isn’t even shocked he’s here. She probably saw him walk in like a fool. 

“Parker.” 

“Jones.” He says in _nowhere_ near a squeak. 

They move over to the side to gather their uniforms, which is when Peter remembers that girls wear skirts and immediately feels gross and looks at the floor. This is MJ, his friend, his pretty friend, his best friend, his very pretty best friend. And if he  _ had _ to list  her best features, (he wouldn’t! Just if he  _ had _ too.) Her legs are up there, like third. After her mind and her face. Not that he’s thought about it.

“Earth to Peter.” He snaps his head up so fast it takes a second for his eyes to catch up, hey, has she always been that beautiful? Rude. 

“You okay?”

“What, yeah of course! I just, erm, I didn’t peg you as the cheerleading type.”

She snorts, “I know. It’s fun to test people’s expectations.”

“You exceed them all, Em.” He says and immediately regrets because  _ what? _ Just pull your heart out and give it to her Peter, damn. 

“Thanks.” She says uncharacteristically shy. 

“You better not drop me, short stuff.” Instead of verbalising that there’s no way he’d ever let her fall unless it’s in love with him, he groans loudly and she laughs louder and it’s his  _ favourite  _ sound. 

* * *

“MJ never puts the front piece of her hair up, but it always gets in her eyes, have you noticed, Ned?"

* * *

The crisp air and the bright skys is one of Peter’s favourite things about New York in springtime. One of his other favourite things about Spring is hanging out with Michelle and Ned in Central Park. He’s laying down, head on MJ’s bag, which is conveniently set next to where she is sat propped against a tree. Ned is sat opposite them on his switch. Peter is content to lay here, eyes closed, listening to the pencil scratch of MJ drawing. He likes to try and guess what she’s drawing based on the distance of the sound to his ears. 

“A flower” he says, he’s been guessing for the last few minutes.

“Peter. Stop distracting me! My hair is already annoying me, and I do not need that from you as well.” Her tone is slightly tighter than he’s used to when they’re in the park, so he chances a look up at her. She’s so beautiful from every angle. But from here, with the sunlight behind her, he’s just openly staring at her.

“Stop being a creep, Parker” but she’s doing the smile. His favourite smile. He can see the hair that’s annoying her, she’s trying to blow it out of her face without stopping the flow of her drawing. 

He props himself up on one arm and uses the other to reach over and tuck the lock of hair behind her ear. He does not linger with his fingertips pressed behind her ear. 

“Thanks” she mumbles, lip caught between her teeth. He moves his hand away, slightly dragging his fingers down her neck, he feels her pulse quicken, and returns to his spot on the grass. 

* * *

“I can’t go tomorrow Ned, “ Find Light ” is out in hardback and I think if I get to the bookstore early I can get it for MJ before my class.”

* * *

He finds her before practice on the bleachers. He hasn’t seen her all day and he definitely does not skip over. He sits down next to her and waits for her to acknowledge his existence. 

“What ya reading?” Peter says, desperately trying to get her attention. Instead of a verbal response, she holds up her book cover. His shoulders slump, sue him, he hasn’t heard her voice all day and he’s been miserable. Okay, yes, miserable is a strong word, but he really, really likes her! 

So instead of doing the polite thing, the thing he knows she wants him to do, stop talking. He says, “Oh, do you like it?!”. She levels him with a glare that says, ‘obviously.’ His face must betray how badly he wants to hear her say anything, and she relents, and lowers her book, saying “Yeah. I probably know it well enough that I could rewrite it in my sleep. Like, not a different story obviously, it’s perfect.”

He immediately perks up having her speak to him and enthusiastically says “Of course you can! If anyone could write a better book, it’s you! Oh my gosh, you should do it! Like, erm, an alternate reality or something? A different universe? I could be in it! Who’s the main character? Me, right? It’s me?” He’s waggling his eyebrows suggestively and smiling so brightly because she’s laughing.  _ With him.  _ He made her laugh and it’s his  _ favourite  _ sound. 

“Shut up, Parker.” She says with a false groan.

“That’s the title! Shut up. Or silence. Or be quiet.” He can’t help himself but be a dork around her. 

She sighs happily and says “Will you be?”

He turns to sit next to her, thighs touching as she brings her book back up, but because it’s Peter, he pushes his luck. A deep drawn-out sigh, “Aahhhhh,  for now… we may remain- ” and he mouths the word ‘Silent’ and mimics locking his lips.

* * *

“Ned, I - I just - think she's really great you know.”

* * *

“Dude.  _ Dude.  _ I am begging you, to just ask her out!”

“On a date?! Are you insane? Have you seen me around her? I can barely talk, Ned. What are we going to do? Something mute? Wait, is that a thing?” Peter brings out his phone and immediately starts typing ‘dates where you don’t need to talk with girls insanely out of your league’. 

“Peter. Calm down, she already likes you!”

“You’ve said, Ned. And I love you, my guy in the chair, my brother from another mother-” Ned makes a face that suggests Peter is far too white to say that “- but I cannot, ask Michelle out. It’s Michelle. You’ve seen her! You’ve heard her talk! You know just as well as I do that there’s no way I deserve her-” 

“Well obviously.”

“-so why on earth would I embarrass myself by asking her out!”

Ned looks a little sad, “Pete. She likes you, man. I think she really likes you. So ask her. You know she’s not going to do it first, just ask her.”

“Ned.”

“Ohhh, you could ask Spidey for help? A  web fluid wingman! Peter, don’t walk away from me! I have ideas!”

* * *

“I would never let her fall, Ned. ~~Unless it's in love with me”~~

* * *

“MJ, we’re gunna do fine!”

“I dunno. I’m not used to seeing that many people.”

“You’ve done acadec and debates with more people than that, MJ. What’s up?”

“Just- usually I don’t have children’s clothing on!”

“Michelle-”

“Pete! I have considerably more off than I have on, if you haven’t noticed.”

Hasn’t noticed?! As if he can notice anything other than her. It’s always her. 

“Em.” He says softly, taking her hands in his, “We can go, if you don’t want to do this. We don’t have too, whatever you want.” 

“I, just - ughhh, I should never have signed up for this you know. Practice has been fun with you, but going out there? I’m going to look ridiculous next to everyone else. I’m all elbows and knees and-” She trails off, bottom lip tucked firmly underneath her top teeth. 

Peter moves both of her hands into one of his, and cups her neck with the other, “Em. You’re beautiful. You look amazing. You’re gunna be amazing.  _ You _ are amazing. You can do anything” His thumb absentmindedly runs over her bottom lip to pull it out from taking the brunt of her insecurities. He’s pretty sure he’s staring at her lips now. Should almost definitely stop, take it back to neutral territory.

“Anything?” She says slightly breathlessly and his eyes snap to meet hers. She’s slightly flushed and,  _ God, _ she’s so beautiful. 

Wait, is she looking at his lips? He’s about to answer when the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and all he can think is ‘not now, not now, not now’. He sees the other cheerleader about to fall off her partners shoulders (who practices a shoulder stand without a mat?!)

He pulls away from MJ and goes to catch the daredevil before her skull explodes like a watermelon. He catches her bridal style and everyone is too stunned to move for a good 5 seconds. When it all catches up to her she squeals into his neck and says “Thank you so much!” and then to his dismay, turns his head to kiss him. 

Is this a disney movie? Can people just kiss people now?

When she releases her hold on him, he promptly puts her down, flushes, and turns to walk back to MJ but her expression stops him in his tracks. His heart feels like it’s in his stomach. She looks _ hurt.  _ And he knows it’s unintentional, but she looks so upset and it’s killing him. She appears to blink her eyes dry and wipes any emotion off of her face.

“Let’s go, Parker. Comp time.” And she turns and walks away from him, and he hates it.

* * *

“Do you need anything tumble dried, Ned? I’m putting my jumper in because MJ likes to wear it and she’ll be cold, obviously.”

* * *

Felicia has been talking to him for a really long time, right? Does she keep laughing too hard at his jokes? Should he know if she’s flirting? Help. He laughs a little too hard at something she said. It was a pun. He loves a pun.

She puts her hand on his bicep and he’s not sure what to do about it? He doesn’t want it there. He’d very much like someone else’s hand there, but you can’t just say that right? What’s he meant to say? This is actually my future wife’s favourite sweater please don’t touch it? 

She’ll drop it in a second anyway.

Any second now.

* * *

“Do you really think he likes me, Ned? Like,  _ likes  _ me?”

* * *

MJs inner monologue is going insane, ‘just go and find him and ask him to coffee you utter coward’. She can hear him laughing round the corner so she sykes herself up, wipes her definitely not clammy palms on her jeans and walks round the corner.

Oh.  _ Oh.  _

Felicia. 

Of course, he likes Felicia. She always knew he was just being friendly with her, he’s her friend! There’s a stinging behind her eyes that she’s very nervous will become embarrassing if she doesn’t leave right this second. But she’s stuck. Has this lump in her throat always been there? 

She really should have left because Peter turns to face her and his face flushes and his eyes widen to the size of those on the mask he still hasn’t told her about. Another reason she really should have known he wasn’t interested like that.

“MJ!” He says moving away from Felicia, who’s wearing a bit too much smirk for her liking. 

“What are you doing here? I thought you had your still life class?”

“Oh. Yeah, it was cancelled, I was just coming to see if- it doesn’t matter. You’re busy, see you later.” And she books it out of there. God, why does she even listen to Ned? Felicia is so Peter’s type, she’s everyone’s type, she’s definitely MJs type. It’s fine. She’s fine. Peter has been her friend for years, he’s not going anywhere. She’s never kissed him before so she’s not going to miss it now, right?

“Em, wait! Michelle!” Peter says uncharacteristically out of breath. Is he putting it on? She’ll never know. (Yes).

“What’s up, Parker?” She says very cooly, her eyes are bone dry thank you. 

“That- that wasn’t what it looked like.”

“Okay?”

“I… I just need you to know that I’m not, it’s not, we’re not-” he points back to where she assumes Felicia must be standing a little shellshocked “-we’re not a thing or anything.” 

Oh.  _ Oh. _

“That’s… okay?” 

“I have something to tell you, actually. I’m just gunna come out and say it. Em, I-” Oh no, she’s not ready. The lump in her throat hasn’t left. She’s so violently unprepared. 

“Am Spiderman.”

“What?!” She’s too caught up in the fact she blurted out his secret to appreciate the level of blush he has going on right now.

“That’s what you were going to say, that you’re Spiderman. Ya know, swinging around in spandex?  Parker and recreation style.” She’s not sure why she’s carrying on, she’s not even sure why she told him. She’s always been very adamant about the fact that it’s his secret, but still upset over him not trusting her. Probably like a 50/50 split. 

30/70.

~~10/90~~.

He hasn’t spoken in a really long time and she’s a bit nervous she might have ruined-

“That, yeah that’s true.” Thank God the corridor is clear, because really this was not her best move.

“I’m sorry.” “I didn’t mean to-” they both say at the same time. Peter makes a noise that indicates MJ can go first. 

“I’m sorry, that wasn’t my secret to tell. I, ugh, I didn’t mean to pressure you into telling me. I just, I was flustered and I didn’t know what you were going to say, and it just came out. And I’m really sorry. I can forget I know, I won’t bring it up again-”

She’s interrupted, rude, by him kissing her, less rude. 

* * *

“Ned. MJs favourite avenger is Black Panther, she says it all the time.”

* * *

Kissing Michelle is better than he ever thought it would be. It feels like home. She feels like home. He shouldn’t be surprised, she always has. 

Her hands have made their way up to the back of his neck and he likes that, he loves that. Sliding one arm round her waist and placing one, gently, always gently, between her shoulder blades he deepens the kiss, slipping his tongue into her mouth like that’s where it belongs. She lets out a breathy moan and he might be dead. 

Michelle pulls away and he immediately follows her lips with his. 

Laughing, she says, “You’re obsessed.” But goes back to kissing him anyway, so really, a win for him. And her if the noises coming from her are anything to go by. 

Remembering they are in fact in an abandoned college hallway he reluctantly pulls away, only like a head width he’s not an animal.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

“I’m so in love with you.”

“Same.”

“Ugh, I should never have made you watch Star Wars.” He says with far too much fondness in his voice. 

She’s laughing and it’s his _ favourite _ sound, topped only by her saying “I’m in love with you, as well.” 

An abandoned college hallway is a great place to make out with the love of your life, he’s always said so. 

* * *

“Ned, I love you. Will you be my best man?”

“Obviously you’re my maid of honour, Betty, God.”

**Author's Note:**

> Did you notice any of your fic titles 😏 I successfully or unsuccessfully used like 15 of them.
> 
> it's longish and got 0 plot????
> 
> Marie, I wrote the orange segment for you lmao x
> 
> Come say hi on tumblr! @i-lovethatforme  
> Okay love you bye x


End file.
